Butter itself is made from cream and it is truly amazing how simple it is to turn cream into a solid and liquid bi-product. All you need to do is a few simple steps and presto you have butter and buttermilk. Butter is the yellow solid that we all know and buttermilk is the thin watery secondary product that is also produced during the process. How does this actually happen?
The thing with cream is that a lot of it is actually water while another portion is protein and fat globules. Cream is usually about 20% fat globules, which provide a successful suspension together with the water. This suspension is called a colloid. The fat globules are basically little sacs of fat inside a fine membrane. When the cream is agitated by shaking in a jar or being continuously whipped by an electric beater, the fat globules start to smash against each other. When the fat globules break apart the fat molecules start to clump together. Butter has fully formed when all the exposed fat has clumped together in one complete clump and there is a watery and slightly milky looking liquid.
So it really is quite a simple process. Want to see exactly how to do it Check out How To Make Butter.
Enjoy!
Check out these great butter recipes if you are looking for something interesting to do with your new fresh made butter.
